Chapter 2 Wei Zhongxian
Wang Chengen was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and quickly bowed, speaking.
"Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian's power is too great. Not only do all the eunuchs in the palace rely on him, but he also maintains tens of thousands of Jing Army soldiers. If not for the court officials, together with Consort Liu, pressuring him to observe mourning for the late Emperor, perhaps at this moment..."
Before Wang Chengen could finish his sentence, the Emperor waved his hand, interrupting him.
"This Emperor has his own judgment. Summon him to see This Emperor immediately."
The Emperor knew what Wang Chengen wanted to say and what his concerns were.
At this moment, Wei Zhongxian's influence was too vast. Not only were his informants spread throughout the palace, but even on the imperial court, half of the officials were his adopted sons and grandsons.
The core of the Ming dynasty's power, the Grand Secretariat, with Grand Secretary Huang Liji at its head, consisted of seven members who were all from the Eunuch Faction. The Directorate of Ceremonial, responsible for endorsing imperial edicts for the Emperor, was also entirely composed of his partisans.
The Ming dynasty's memorials were divided into 'title memorials' and 'memorials'. Title memorials concerned public affairs, while memorials were for officials' private matters, such as requesting leave or offering auspicious words for the Emperor's birthday.
Memorials were first sent to the Grand Secretariat. After discussion, the Grand Secretariat would provide a suggested course of action, known as 'ticket drafting', which was then sent to the Directorate of Ceremonialfor the Emperor's personal signature and approval, known as 'red endorsement'.
This was a rule established by Emperor Taizu, but after the reigns of two'sages', Emperor Jiajing and EmperorWanli, the power of red endorsement completely fell into the hands of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Handling national affairs and even issuing imperial edicts could be done directly without the Emperor's involvement, which was why Wei Zhongxian often issued false imperial edicts.
Because all the powerful institutions were staffed by his people.
Therefore, Wang Chengen worried that Wei Zhongxianwould act unfavorably towards his master, who had been elevated to the throne by the civil officials against much opposition.
Looking at Wang Chengen leaving with a look of worry, the Emperor did not offer any explanation.
He had no golden finger nor a system, but he knew the direction of future events, who was loyal and who was treacherous, and he knew things that no one else did.
Wei Zhongxian's evil deeds were too numerous to count, as clearly recorded in historical records.
However, these so-called historical records were altered by the Manchu Qing, and as someone who had studied the history of ming in his previous life, he had seen a different Wei Zhongxian than the one presented in the Manchu Qing's history of ming.
First and foremost, he was absolutely loyal to EmperorTianqi.
And this person's greatest ability was to make money.
What was even more impressive than his money-making ability was his skill in winning people over.
When the Zhejiang Faction, Qi Faction, and Chu Faction were on their last breath, suppressed by the Donglin Faction, he gathered all members of the three factions and then shattered the Donglin Faction.
His method of recruiting people was extremely simple, crude, and practical.
He didn't play games; everyone made money together, everyone faced challenges together. He didn't care about background, faction, or knowledge. As long as one joined the Eunuch Faction, they were one of his own.
The reason the Donglin Faction couldn't defeat Wei Zhongxian was their 'purity'.
The requirements for joining were too high, and the avenues too few. They had to be from the same region, colleagues (same cohort of jinshi), or students of the same teacher (master-disciple relationship). They had to be intellectuals, and high-level ones at that, jinshi or Hanlin.
Their background also had to be clean, and their reputation good. In terms of shamelessness, they couldn't compare to Old Wei. In terms of numbers, they also couldn't compare to Old Wei. It would be strange if they didn't lose.
Furthermore, he utilized Emperor Taizu's system of regional avoidance, where southerners served as officials in the north and northerners served in the south, to prevent official corruption and bribery. He placed all his confidants in the Donglin Faction's hometowns.
Want to resign and go home to live a good life? Dream on.
If you dare to cause trouble while This Eunuch is making money right in your hometown, This Eunuch can fabricate an imperial edict to kill you.
Then he would either assign the Donglin Faction members to barren lands or to places full of unruly commoners.
If you behave, you can be a puppet official. If you act up, the Eastern Depot is not one to spoil children.
Another remarkable aspect of Wei Zhongxian was that he did not collect agricultural taxes but instead levied commercial taxes.
His crimes were countless, but there are few records of him oppressing common people. However, he was swift and ruthless in his dealings with merchants.
His corruption did not even spare a tiny profit, yet during his time in power, the Nine Garrisons of the Ming dynasty, while not fully funded, had the most abundant resources during the Tianqi and Emperor reigns.
It was also the period when the Ming army was at its strongest, and Nurhaci and Hong Taiji suffered successive defeats.
And there was another little-known fact: the Jing Armyhe assembled fought to the last man when Li Zichengbroke through Beijing.
Not a single one turned their back on the enemy; all died on the charge, with no one fleeing.
Even fewer people knew that the spiritual totem of this despised Jing Army was Yue Fei.
Treacherous and evil, yet with a sense of reverence—a great contradiction, but this was the true Wei Zhongxian.
Wei Zhongxian certainly deserved to die, but for the Emperor to break the deadlock and change the course of the Ming dynasty's history, this person was crucial.
Wei Zhongxian could not die so quickly, at least not before his usefulness was completely exploited.
And the reason the Emperor had such confidence was because of the item Emperor Tianqi had left him, which he held in his arms.
Night, black as ink.
The palace was brightly lit, much like the stubbornness of the Ming dynasty, which, though its days were numbered, refused to bow its head.
Wei Zhongxian was 59 years old this year. His combined official titles amounted to over two hundred characters. Historically, those who, like him, achieved such a position with a physical disability were few and far between.
His back was greatly bent, and he moved quickly with small steps. This was the duty he had upheld for years.
He was powerful, immensely powerful, but also greatly fearful, because his patron had died.
He knew he too would soon die.
The New Emperor would never let him live; he was both a threat and the best tool for The New Emperor to win over people's hearts.
But just as he was racking his brains for a countermeasure, he received four characters: "Emperorsummons, come immediately."
These four short characters filled Wei Zhongxian with joy, and he immediately arrived before the Palace of Heavenly Purity's bedchamber, bowing as he entered.
However, the sight that greeted him as soon as he entered the door startled him. The New Emperor was not seated behind a desk nor on a soft couch, but rather on a chair in the center of the bedchamber, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Your Servant Wei Zhongxian kowtows to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long long live Your Majesty!"
Wei Zhongxian quickly knelt and performed the kowtow, touching his head to the ground, but he received no response.
This made his heart tremble, because it was different from what he had expected.
He had thought that The New Emperor summoning him on the night of his ascension would be an attempt to win him over and treat him kindly, thus allowing him to become The New Emperor's confidant with no further worries.
But from the moment he entered the bedchamber, everything was completely contrary to his expectations.
The bedchamber was empty, with only The New Emperor present, who sat on a chair in the center of the room, his eyes as still as an ancient well, showing no reaction to his kowtows.
It was illogical, extremely illogical.
Wei Zhongxian's heart instantly tightened, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He couldn't guess what The New Emperor wanted to do, nor did he know what would happen next.
A full dozen breaths passed, and the bedchamber remained silent.
Just as the extremely oppressive atmosphere made Wei Zhongxian feel as if he was suffocating, The New Emperor's faint voice reached his ears.
"They say you are a treacherous eunuch who harms the nation."
The voice was faint, with a hint of hoarseness, but in the quiet bedchamber, it reached Wei Zhongxian's ears with extreme clarity.
Just as Wei Zhongxian heard this and was about to look up.
Crack.
A soft sound came, and a memorial jointly impeaching him by court officials was thrown before Wei Zhongxian.
"Do you know why you were forcibly ordered to observe mourning for the late Emperor?"
Without waiting for Wei Zhongxian to answer, the Emperor's faint voice sounded again.
"Because everyone believed you would harm This Emperor. But do you know why This Emperorspecifically summoned only you?"
As the words fell, the Emperor's faint voice made Wei Zhongxian suddenly look up.
"Because there has never been a Eunuch Faction in this world. The so-called Eunuch Faction is, in fact, the Emperor's Faction."
"You are This Eunuch's family slave, and also the tool for governing the country that This Emperor's imperial brother left for This Emperor!"
Chapter 2 Wei Zhongxian
Wang Chengen was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and quickly bowed, speaking.
"Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian's power is too great. Not only do all the eunuchs in the palace rely on him, but he also maintains tens of thousands of Jing Army soldiers. If not for the court officials, together with Consort Liu, pressuring him to observe mourning for the late Emperor, perhaps at this moment..."
Before Wang Chengen could finish his sentence, the Emperor waved his hand, interrupting him.
"This Emperor has his own judgment. Summon him to see This Emperor immediately."
The Emperor knew what Wang Chengen wanted to say and what his concerns were.
At this moment, Wei Zhongxian's influence was too vast. Not only were his informants spread throughout the palace, but even on the imperial court, half of the officials were his adopted sons and grandsons.
The core of the Ming dynasty's power, the Grand Secretariat, with Grand Secretary Huang Liji at its head, consisted of seven members who were all from the Eunuch Faction. The Directorate of Ceremonial, responsible for endorsing imperial edicts for the Emperor, was also entirely composed of his partisans.
The Ming dynasty's memorials were divided into 'title memorials' and 'memorials'. Title memorials concerned public affairs, while memorials were for officials' private matters, such as requesting leave or offering auspicious words for the Emperor's birthday.
Memorials were first sent to the Grand Secretariat. After discussion, the Grand Secretariat would provide a suggested course of action, known as 'ticket drafting', which was then sent to the Directorate of Ceremonialfor the Emperor's personal signature and approval, known as 'red endorsement'.
This was a rule established by Emperor Taizu, but after the reigns of two'sages', Emperor Jiajing and EmperorWanli, the power of red endorsement completely fell into the hands of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Handling national affairs and even issuing imperial edicts could be done directly without the Emperor's involvement, which was why Wei Zhongxian often issued false imperial edicts.
Because all the powerful institutions were staffed by his people.
Therefore, Wang Chengen worried that Wei Zhongxianwould act unfavorably towards his master, who had been elevated to the throne by the civil officials against much opposition.
Looking at Wang Chengen leaving with a look of worry, the Emperor did not offer any explanation.
He had no golden finger nor a system, but he knew the direction of future events, who was loyal and who was treacherous, and he knew things that no one else did.
Wei Zhongxian's evil deeds were too numerous to count, as clearly recorded in historical records.
However, these so-called historical records were altered by the Manchu Qing, and as someone who had studied the history of ming in his previous life, he had seen a different Wei Zhongxian than the one presented in the Manchu Qing's history of ming.
First and foremost, he was absolutely loyal to EmperorTianqi.
And this person's greatest ability was to make money.
What was even more impressive than his money-making ability was his skill in winning people over.
When the Zhejiang Faction, Qi Faction, and Chu Faction were on their last breath, suppressed by the Donglin Faction, he gathered all members of the three factions and then shattered the Donglin Faction.
His method of recruiting people was extremely simple, crude, and practical.
He didn't play games; everyone made money together, everyone faced challenges together. He didn't care about background, faction, or knowledge. As long as one joined the Eunuch Faction, they were one of his own.
The reason the Donglin Faction couldn't defeat Wei Zhongxian was their 'purity'.
The requirements for joining were too high, and the avenues too few. They had to be from the same region, colleagues (same cohort of jinshi), or students of the same teacher (master-disciple relationship). They had to be intellectuals, and high-level ones at that, jinshi or Hanlin.
Their background also had to be clean, and their reputation good. In terms of shamelessness, they couldn't compare to Old Wei. In terms of numbers, they also couldn't compare to Old Wei. It would be strange if they didn't lose.
Furthermore, he utilized Emperor Taizu's system of regional avoidance, where southerners served as officials in the north and northerners served in the south, to prevent official corruption and bribery. He placed all his confidants in the Donglin Faction's hometowns.
Want to resign and go home to live a good life? Dream on.
If you dare to cause trouble while This Eunuch is making money right in your hometown, This Eunuch can fabricate an imperial edict to kill you.
Then he would either assign the Donglin Faction members to barren lands or to places full of unruly commoners.
If you behave, you can be a puppet official. If you act up, the Eastern Depot is not one to spoil children.
Another remarkable aspect of Wei Zhongxian was that he did not collect agricultural taxes but instead levied commercial taxes.
His crimes were countless, but there are few records of him oppressing common people. However, he was swift and ruthless in his dealings with merchants.
His corruption did not even spare a tiny profit, yet during his time in power, the Nine Garrisons of the Ming dynasty, while not fully funded, had the most abundant resources during the Tianqi and Emperor reigns.
It was also the period when the Ming army was at its strongest, and Nurhaci and Hong Taiji suffered successive defeats.
And there was another little-known fact: the Jing Armyhe assembled fought to the last man when Li Zichengbroke through Beijing.
Not a single one turned their back on the enemy; all died on the charge, with no one fleeing.
Even fewer people knew that the spiritual totem of this despised Jing Army was Yue Fei.
Treacherous and evil, yet with a sense of reverence—a great contradiction, but this was the true Wei Zhongxian.
Wei Zhongxian certainly deserved to die, but for the Emperor to break the deadlock and change the course of the Ming dynasty's history, this person was crucial.
Wei Zhongxian could not die so quickly, at least not before his usefulness was completely exploited.
And the reason the Emperor had such confidence was because of the item Emperor Tianqi had left him, which he held in his arms.
Night, black as ink.
The palace was brightly lit, much like the stubbornness of the Ming dynasty, which, though its days were numbered, refused to bow its head.
Wei Zhongxian was 59 years old this year. His combined official titles amounted to over two hundred characters. Historically, those who, like him, achieved such a position with a physical disability were few and far between.
His back was greatly bent, and he moved quickly with small steps. This was the duty he had upheld for years.
He was powerful, immensely powerful, but also greatly fearful, because his patron had died.
He knew he too would soon die.
The New Emperor would never let him live; he was both a threat and the best tool for The New Emperor to win over people's hearts.
But just as he was racking his brains for a countermeasure, he received four characters: "Emperorsummons, come immediately."
These four short characters filled Wei Zhongxian with joy, and he immediately arrived before the Palace of Heavenly Purity's bedchamber, bowing as he entered.
However, the sight that greeted him as soon as he entered the door startled him. The New Emperor was not seated behind a desk nor on a soft couch, but rather on a chair in the center of the bedchamber, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Your Servant Wei Zhongxian kowtows to Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long long live Your Majesty!"
Wei Zhongxian quickly knelt and performed the kowtow, touching his head to the ground, but he received no response.
This made his heart tremble, because it was different from what he had expected.
He had thought that The New Emperor summoning him on the night of his ascension would be an attempt to win him over and treat him kindly, thus allowing him to become The New Emperor's confidant with no further worries.
But from the moment he entered the bedchamber, everything was completely contrary to his expectations.
The bedchamber was empty, with only The New Emperor present, who sat on a chair in the center of the room, his eyes as still as an ancient well, showing no reaction to his kowtows.
It was illogical, extremely illogical.
Wei Zhongxian's heart instantly tightened, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He couldn't guess what The New Emperor wanted to do, nor did he know what would happen next.
A full dozen breaths passed, and the bedchamber remained silent.
Just as the extremely oppressive atmosphere made Wei Zhongxian feel as if he was suffocating, The New Emperor's faint voice reached his ears.
"They say you are a treacherous eunuch who harms the nation."
The voice was faint, with a hint of hoarseness, but in the quiet bedchamber, it reached Wei Zhongxian's ears with extreme clarity.
Just as Wei Zhongxian heard this and was about to look up.
Crack.
A soft sound came, and a memorial jointly impeaching him by court officials was thrown before Wei Zhongxian.
"Do you know why you were forcibly ordered to observe mourning for the late Emperor?"
Without waiting for Wei Zhongxian to answer, the Emperor's faint voice sounded again.
"Because everyone believed you would harm This Emperor. But do you know why This Emperorspecifically summoned only you?"
As the words fell, the Emperor's faint voice made Wei Zhongxian suddenly look up.
"Because there has never been a Eunuch Faction in this world. The so-called Eunuch Faction is, in fact, the Emperor's Faction."
"You are This Eunuch's family slave, and also the tool for governing the country that This Emperor's imperial brother left for This Emperor!"